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Latest Articles
When To Replace Your St. Louis MO Heater
How To Determine If You Need To Change Your Furnace System Consider the number of damages the heating unit has so that you will know right...
on Jan 16, 2021
What To Do When Your Morrison IL HVAC System Breaks
You must want your furnace to operate perfectly to keep you warm during the cold winter months. For this reason, you need to take care of your...
on Jan 14, 2021
What You Should Know Before Getting Custom Fly Screens
Aside from enhancing the look and feel of your home, custom fly screens can also elevate your level of privacy, protection, and elegance of your...
on Jan 13, 2021
Choosing The Right Heating Unit For Your Universal City Home
How To Choose The Ideal Furnace For Your Home It can be very tempting to buy cheap heaters. When you look at these models, you may not get...
on Jan 9, 2021
How Will You Repair A Broken Heating System in St. Petersburg
Look For A 24/7 Heating Agency Quickly When you have an Internet connection on your mobile phone, you can just Google the furnace repair...
on Jan 7, 2021
Popular Articles
When to Use a Brush, Roller or Sponge Brush
Brushes are a good choice for painting trim and woodwork. They are also useful for cutting in the edges around the top and bottom edges and corners...
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Three Places to Spend Money on the Exterior of Your Home
When you have the exterior of your home remodeled, you are investing, time, energy and convenience into the project and you want to make sure that...
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Homemade Headboards-Make an Upholstered or Wooden Headboard
Homemade headboards can add a lot of personality to any bedroom. They can be coordinated with existing furniture and room decor or they can be the...
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Creating a Cottage Kitchen with Bead Board
Kitchen decor can range from modern and bold to elegant and elaborate by using strategic kitchen pieces. One of the most popular decorating trends...
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Gas Fireplace Diagnostics and Troubleshooting
Follow these steps for diagnosing and troubleshooting Gas Fireplaces repairs. For the average DIYer, this may seem intimidating, depending on the...
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Cleaning Grout Lines to Look Like New
by Jessica Ackerman on Feb 12, 2010
Grout lines are often the arch enemy of a clean tile surface. They quickly collect dirt, can become discolored and, if painted, wear the color off in seemingly no time flat. Whether the tile is on a kitchen backsplash, floor or counter, cleaning the dirty grout lines can be a chore, especially if the tile covers a large area. Thankfully, there are a few tried and true methods that work to clean grout lines to look like new.
Baking Soda Paste
This environmentally friendly, green cleaning method is a combination of simple, household baking soda and water. Mix 2 1/2 parts baking soda to 1 part water, stir and create a paste. Spread the paste liberally on the dirty grout lines. Let it sit for about 30 minutes and then scrub the grout with a firm brush. Use a brush that has firm bristles, but those that are not made of metal. After scrubbing, wipe off the counter with a wet cloth to remove any baking soda paste residue. This method of cleaning grout lines usually works best with fresh stains that are relatively light in color.
Steam Cleaning
Although it may seem that steam cleaning is a new fad, it is a great way to clean a tile floor. The steam's pressure can break up stains and caked on particles that traditional methods of cleaning cannot. Steam cleaners work well on all tile surfaces and can often be found in hand-held versions for those hard to reach areas. Always be sure to use distilled water, as regular tap water can cause a build-up of calcium that will cause the steam cleaner to malfunction.
Commercial Cleaners
Commercial cleaners are another option for cleaning dirty grout lines. Shake-on powder cleaners can quickly mix up like the baking soda paste and be applied in the same manner. Liquid or gel household cleaners can also make a difference when cleaning grout. Be careful, however, that the products being used do not contain bleach if they are being used on painted grout lines as this will cause them to fade and become discolored.
Professional Strength Cleaners
Most home improvement stores carry specialty, professional grade tile grout cleaners. These harsh cleaners can quickly erode the grout after repeated use, so use with caution. If there are small children or pets in the home, be careful that the cleaner does not sit on the tile for too long, as the fumes may irritate sensitive eyes and noses. Scrub the tile grout with a stiff brush and be sure to thoroughly wipe the tiles down to remove any cleaner residue.
Cleaning grout lines to look like new is a time consuming and tedious task. It requires patience and a great deal of time. For large jobs, try breaking the room into sections and work one section at a time. This way the project can be spaced out to accommodate the time available to complete it. Once the tile grout is clean, the room will sparkle and shine and feel like an entirely different space. Protect your clean grout lines by sealing the grout lines as soon as they are dry before they can become stained again. Sealant should be reapplied every two to four years. Targeting “DIY'ers,”
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on Jan 16, 2021
HVAC / Air Conditioning
How To Determine If You Need To Change Your Furnace System Consider the number of damages the heating unit has so that you will know right...
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on Jan 14, 2021
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on Jan 9, 2021
HVAC / Air Conditioning
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